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After years of delay, Georgia’s Anaklia deep-sea port is being relaunched under a new model, which the government claims will protect national interests. Yet, following nearly a decade marked by political controversy, failed partnerships, and international disputes, the latest announcement prompts a familiar question: Is Anaklia finally emerging as a truly strategic infrastructure project, or …
Continue reading “Anaklia Reset: Government Takes Full Ownership as Strategic Port Plan Shifts”
“There was a cracked pipe that should have been welded and properly repaired. Instead, they just covered it with a thick layer of paint. All that mattered was that the inspector took a quick look and said, ‘Yes, it’s been fixed,’” recalls Sandro (name changed), a young Georgian seafarer describing the most harrowing voyage of …
Continue reading “Inside Russia’s Shadow Fleet: The Hidden Risks for Georgian Seafarers”
On June 17, the European Parliament will discuss the annual report on Georgia as a candidate country. Rapporteur on Georgia Rasa Juknevičienė expects the European Parliament to adopt the report with a large majority, as the main political groups in Europe are united in their assessment of Georgian Dream. In an interview with Netgazeti, Juknevičienė …
“There is no more time for grey zones,” says David McAllister, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. He answered Netgazeti’s questions about the enlargement process and relations between Georgia and the European Union. In June, the European Parliament will debate a critical report on Georgia, which AFET has adopted. Representatives of the …
A court in Azerbaijan has ordered the detention of journalist Afgan Sadygov after reopening a criminal case that Azerbaijani authorities had officially closed just two months earlier. Sadygov — who was forcibly deported from Georgia in April despite legal concerns raised by the European Court of Human Rights — says the case is politically motivated …
On April 24, Tbilisi City Court has terminated proceedings in yet another defamation lawsuit brought by journalist Mzia Amaglobeli against Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The hearing was held in Kobakhidze’s absence, as neither he nor his legal representative attended court. The court was also informed that no written defence had been submitted, despite …
Judge Tornike Kapanadze has dismissed the administrative offence case against Tabula journalist Mariam Kuprava, who had been accused of “artificially blocking the road” while covering the weekly protest, the “Saturday March.” Kuprava had faced up to 15 days of administrative detention, even though video evidence presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs showed that she …
Georgia’s Public Defender has presented its 2025 annual human rights report to parliament, also flagging concerns over protest-related enforcement, due process violations, prison deaths, and rising child poverty. The 427-page report, released on March 31, reviews the state of human rights and freedoms across the country and highlights several systemic problems. Double jeopardy concerns in …
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended for another year the national emergency declared by Joe Biden. Joe Biden declared the national emergency related to the harmful foreign activities of the Russian Federation in April 2021. It was under this executive order addressing the Russian Federation’s harmful foreign actions that, on December 27, 2024, the United …
Continue reading “Trump Extends Emergency Order, Keeping Sanctions on Ivanishvili in Force”
“Let us pay attention to this phrase: no country is protected from the consequences of a regional crisis. The crisis is much closer than it may seem at first glance,” Iran’s Ambassador to Georgia, Seyed Ali Moujani, wrote in a social media post on March 31. He accompanied the post with an image showing a …
On March 30, the Prosecutor’s Office brought a new charge against a Georgian opposition politicion Aleksandre (Aleko) Elisashvili. This time, he is accused of starting a fire in the archive building of the Tbilisi City Court. The prosecution alleges that, Elisashvili set the fire in the court archive on May 4, 2025. As a result, …
Davit Gabaidze has resigned from his position as Chair of the Georgian Dream’s Supreme Council of Adjara. He announced this himself at a briefing held today, March 30. According to our information, Tsotne Ananidze is expected to take over his post. He currently serves as Chair of the Human Rights Protection Committee in the Supreme …
Continue reading “Davit Gabaidze Resigns as Chair of Adjara Supreme Council”
Bacho Akhalaia has been charged with a new offense following a statement he made in court. He has been charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which criminalizes calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and the toppling of state authorities. This article carries a penalty of up to three …
Continue reading “Bacho Akhalaia Faces New Charge for Calling to Overthrow Government”
Georgia’s rapid decline in civic freedoms has once again triggered international alarm, with the country added to the CIVICUS Monitor’s March 2026 Watchlist alongside Benin, Ecuador, Iran and the Philippines. The CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist – an alert system for countries experiencing a rapid and significant deterioration in civic freedoms – rates Georgia (with 34/100 points) …
Judge Giorgi Arevadze sentenced Georgian opposition leader and mother of four, Elene Khoshtaria, to one and a half years in prison for writing “Russian Dream” with a marker on an election banner of Kakha Kaladze, “causing damage estimated by the prosecution at 570 GEL”. Earlier, the same judge sentenced Archil Museliantsi to four years in …
The court hearing in the administrative offence case against Tabula journalist Mariam Kuprava has been postponed to March 30 at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Kuprava, along with Mariam Dzidzaria of Netgazeti, is accused of “artificially blocking the road” while performing professional duties. Both journalists face up to 15 days in …
Opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria, leader of Droa party and a member of the Coalition for Change, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison in connection with an inscription she made on an election campaign banner belonging to Kakha Kaladze of Georgian Dream. The decision was announced by Judge Giorgi Arevadze. Khoshtaria …
A journalist from Netgazeti, Mariam Dzidzaria, is facing up to 15 days of administrative detention after being accused by Georgia’s Interior Ministry of blocking a road while covering a protest, despite clearly displaying press identification. Dzidzaria and Tabula journalist Mariam Kuprava were both charged with “artificially blocking the road” while reporting from demonstrations on Rustaveli …
Continue reading “Netgazeti Journalist Faces Up to 15 Days in Detention Over Protest Coverage”
The report prepared under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) “Moscow Mechanism” on human rights and fundamental freedoms in Georgia has been published on March 12. The report reviews developments concerning human rights and fundamental freedoms in Georgia since the spring of 2024 and provides relevant recommendations. The rapporteur for the report …
Georgia’s Supreme Court has declined to consider the appeal of Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder and director of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. Under Georgia’s legal system, a Supreme Court decision to declare an appeal inadmissible means the court will not review the merits or substance of the case, and the appellate court’s decision remains final. As a result, the …
Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has passed a restrictive legislative package that substantially broadens the definition of grants, criminalizes non-recognition of constitutional bodies, and imposes new restrictions on civil society, political engagement, and public expression. The new law defines a grant as any monetary or in-kind resource—from specified sources—that is used or potentially used to …
The alliance, announced on March 2, brings together United National Movement, Akhali, Droa, Girchi – More Freedom, Freedom Square, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Federalists, National Democratic Party, and European Georgia. According to a joint statement, the parties have agreed on a unified strategy for victory and clear rules for cooperation. The alliance’s stated goals are to end …
Continue reading “Nine Pro-Western Parties Form United Opposition Alliance in Georgia”
On the third day after the launch of US–Israel strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Georgian Dream government issued a statement expressing condolences to the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic for the deaths of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, other political leaders, “innocent civilians, and dozens of children”. The statement also extended condolences to …
On February 18, police in Tbilisi detained Eliso Kiladze, the founder and editor-in-chief of Qronika+. It later emerged that the journalist had been arrested in connection with a so-called fraudulent call center case. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Kiladze has been charged alongside several other individuals, including former Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze, brothers David and …
Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Co-Investment Fund who had been sentenced to 11 years in prison in the high-profile “Bitcoin case,” has been released under a plea agreement after admitting guilt and reimbursing damages, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office confirmed. “He also fully cooperated with the investigation and compensated the damage, on the …
Georgian National Communications Commission has launched administrative proceedings against TV company Kavkasia TV over a donation received from the United States. The information was made public by Nino Jangirashvili, director of Kavkasia TV, who published the letter received from the Georgian National Communications Commission. The Commission has requested a written explanation from the broadcaster within …
By decision of Georgian Dream, refusing to recognize constitutional bodies will become a criminal offense. The announcement was made on February 16 during a session of the Legal Affairs Committee in the Georgian Dream parliament, as lawmakers discussed another restrictive amendment to the law on grants. The decision comes amid an ongoing dispute over the …
Continue reading “‘Non-Recognition of Constitutional Bodies’ to Become a Criminal Offense”
By decree, the Georgian Dream government has approved the number of student places at state universities for the upcoming academic year. The move follows a controversial higher education reform, widely seen as an attempt to consolidate control over the education system. Based on the principle of “one city, one faculty” and changes to faculty quotas, …
On February 12, the the Georgian Dream government approved student admission quotas for state universities. The announcement regarding the quotas was made by Minister of Education, Givi Mikanadze. According to him, quotas for state universities will be distributed on the principle of “one city, one faculty,” taking into account each university’s “traditional profile.” At Tbilisi …
Continue reading “Higher Education Shake-Up: Which Faculties Stay Where”
Amid ongoing international criticism of Iran’s human rights record, Georgian Dream attended a celebration of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tbilisi, with representatives from the Foreign Ministry speaking on behalf of the Georgian government and pledging to deepen cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The reception was held at the Paragraph Hotel …
A so-called pre-trial hearing was held in court in the case concerning the prosecution of opposition politicians, allegedly on the grounds of crimes committed against the state – “sabotage case”. The court deemed all evidence submitted by the prosecution admissible and moved the case to the merits stage. The case concerns the so-called “sabotage” charges, …
Continue reading ““Sabotage” Case Against Eight Opposition Politicians Moves Forward – Court Report”
Introduced amid mass protests and a freeze on EU integration, Georgian Dream’s education reform is reshaping Georgia’s universities and schools in ways that experts say threaten academic autonomy, international cooperation, and students’ freedom of choice. What Does Georgian Dream’s Reform Change in Higher Education? ♦ “One city, one faculty” principle: State universities will no longer …
Continue reading “‘Reform’ to Seize Total Control: Georgian Dream Targets Education System”
Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the “Akhali” party who is currently imprisoned, is facing yet another criminal charge, according to his lawyer Giorgi Kondakhishvili. The charge is scheduled to be formally presented at 15:00 at Rustavi Prison. “An investigator from the Vake-Saburtalo investigative service contacted me this morning and once again informed us …
The “Georgian Dream” parliament has passed another set of repressive legislative amendments at first reading. Under the amendments, the definition of a “grant” is further defined and significantly expanded, placing virtually any form of political self-expression by an individual under state control and criminalizing it if the individual receives resources from a citizen or a …
Continue reading “Georgian Dream Passes Another Package of Repressive Amendments at First Reading”
The ruling Georgian Dream party has introduced a sweeping new legislative package tightening restrictions on foreign funding, political activity, and public engagement for organizations and individuals in Georgia. On January 28, Georgian Dream’s parliamentary majority convened at the party’s Gorgasali office, with party chair Irakli Kobakhidze present. After the meeting, majority leader Irakli Kirtskhalia presented …
On January 26, in Tbilisi, an employee of the State Security Service’s Anti-Corruption Agency was found dead. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the deceased had sustained a gunshot wound. “An Anti-Corruption Agency employee was found this morning in their car with a gunshot wound. During the inspection of the scene, a firearm, which the deceased …
Continue reading “Anti-Corruption Agency Employee Found Dead in Car from Gunshot Wound”
